Caption: Wisdom tooth extraction. Close-up of the extraction of an upper wisdom tooth from a patient's mouth. Wisdom teeth are the third and last set of molars to emerge in the mouth. In many cases wisdom teeth are unable to emerge fully from the gum due to lack of available space. This may cause severe pain and usually results in their removal. The tooth shows signs of granulation, the build up of tartar formed from salts in the saliva around the gum line.